| | | | |  | | By Ben Leonard and Ruth Reader | Presented by Bamboo Health | | | | Roy Schoenberg is the president and co-CEO of Amwell, a leading telehealth company. Future Pulse caught up with him to discuss the state of telehealth, from policy and industry consolidation to abortion and automation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How would you characterize the state of telehealth? We're learning collectively both on the payer side of the industry and the provider side of the industry, that telehealth is more than videoconferencing. It's very hard to resist thinking of it this way because it's the shiny object that people see in front of them. Everybody is coming to terms with the fact that just like online retail, telehealth is a distribution arm. You can reach customers differently. You can manage their conditions differently, you can motivate them to become a more active party in their own health care. What are telehealth's biggest obstacles? It became apparent to everyone that there's so much money and value in this that everybody is jumping in and saying, 'Oh, I can do telehealth.' To some degree, that is confusing matters for organizations. Within six months to a year, a lot of that noise is going to get canceled. The biggest challenge for telehealth and the industry is what do you do with state licensure. We cannot hide from this anymore. We understand that we can allow health care to be distributed around the country through technology and, just like Amazon, doesn't stop at one state or another. I don't know who exactly is going to have the political strength on Capitol Hill to say we have to find another way. But it's inevitable that's what's going to be the biggest war over the next couple of years.
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"The biggest challenge for telehealth and the industry is what do you do with state licensure," Roy Schoenberg (pictured at a 2016 event) said. | Rodney Lamkey Jr. for POLITICO | How significant of an issue will abortion be for telehealth expansion efforts? From the very beginning when we started 15 years ago, people were concerned that telehealth will become a pill mill. It didn't really happen. The reality is that if the rules change about certain medications that should be readily available to people, telehealth won't make a difference. If medications that are necessary, whether they are pregnancy termination medication or controlled substances, when those requests come from telehealth, clinicians are going to make their decision professionally. Is consolidation the way forward for telehealth companies? There are going to be two different types of telehealth. There's going to be telehealth that is extended by a credible known entity like Cleveland Clinic or UnitedHealth Group or CVS Health, which would be their online arm. You're also going to see telehealth solutions that broker availability of different services between brands. Both of those are going to prevail. The standalone solutions — I don't think there's a lot of future for those. Health care from a patient standpoint requires more credibility. How do you see automation playing out in the future? There are two camps in care automation. We need to make a very big distinction between them. There's one camp that says automation can to some degree mimic and replace clinician discretion. Then there is another class of automation that says our job is not to replace clinicians, but rather to help patients manage the reality that they have every day when they're not in front of clinicians. The second one actually has a much larger future because it means that it can assist clinicians in being there for their patients more frequently without breaking the bank. It serves the patients, it serves the clinicians, but it doesn't try to second guess them. To say this will become ubiquitous is an understatement. Welcome back to Future Pulse, where we explore the convergence of health care and technology. Former FDA chief Stephen Hahn's new venture fund is putting $50 million into a company that will predict future virus variants of interest. What do you think about this bet on pandemic preparedness? Share your news, tips and feedback with Ben at bleonard@politico.com or Ruth at rreader@politico.com and follow us on Twitter for the latest @_BenLeonard and @RuthReader. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp here.
| | | | A message from Bamboo Health: According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 U.S. adults recently experienced a mental illness. But now, people in need have a lifeline. On July 16th, 988 goes live and across the country, states are required to implement crisis lines and support systems. Bamboo Health is here to help you create the coordinated crisis infrastructure you need to support 988. Visit BambooHealth.com/988ready to learn more about our 988 resources. | | | | | | Marco Rizzi:
|  Twitter | | | | PUSH FOR BIDEN TO BOLSTER ABORTION PRIVACY — Pressure has mounted on President Joe Biden to take steps to protect the data of people seeking abortions amid fears that prosecutors in states banning the procedure could use the information as evidence, Ben reports. HHS has offered guidance, and Secretary Xavier Becerra says he's exploring all options, while Biden issued an executive order Friday. But the administration has also tried to dampen expectations, and the order was light on details. Democratic lawmakers and abortion-rights and privacy advocates urge the administration to go further. "The best time to have taken forceful action to protect data would have been the day Dobbs leaked. The second best time is now," said Matthew Cortland, a senior fellow at Data for Progress, referencing the Supreme Court decision last month that ended the constitutional right to an abortion. The asks: The Democrats and activists are calling on Biden to call out tech companies and pushing for comprehensive privacy legislation, though Congress is at a stalemate. Some advocates argued the administration's guidance puts too much burden on individuals to protect their own privacy. "The only responsible thing to do is to emphasize that the solution is not in the hands of pregnant people," said Eleni Manis, research director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. And Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada are calling on the administration to bar clinics from sharing health information with law enforcement pursuing abortion cases. More from Congress: Top Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee are probing five data brokers and five health apps over their privacy practices amid fears of abortion surveillance, POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. The lawmakers pointed to a recent study showing that 20 of the most popular 23 women's health apps shared user data with outside parties, with about half asking for consent.
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | | SCRAMBLE FOR ABORTION —The Supreme Court's decision is causing confusion for doctors and people wanting to end a pregnancy. Virtual abortion clinics are rallying to meet demand, but a patchwork of state restrictions means that women have to get in the car and drive — even to meet with a doctor online, Ruth and Ben report. Online pharmacy Honeybee Health has seen a 50 percent rise in orders for medication abortion. Likewise, telehealth clinics are experiencing a 25-fold increase in traffic. "People's main option is going to be either finding a way to travel out of state or being able to self-manage," said Abigail Aiken, an associate professor of public affairs who focuses on abortion at the University of Texas at Austin. Logistical hassles: The rapid shift in state laws means people seeking abortions have had to go to states that still provide them, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles just to get a pill prescription. While overseas pharmacies will send medication abortion to women in states where the procedure is illegal, it can sometimes take weeks to arrive. More clinics, both virtual and in-person, are setting up facilities on state borders to be closer to patients.
| | | | A message from Bamboo Health:   | | | | | | MORE DECLINE IN DIGITAL HEALTH FUNDING — Another quarter, another decline in digital health funding. New data from investment firm Rock Health shows venture funding fell steeply to $4.1 billion in the second quarter amid fears about a digital health bubble and a broader economic recession.
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| But even though the second-quarter cash haul was the lowest since the second quarter of 2020, the total was still well above pre-pandemic numbers and the sector is on pace to surpass 2020's take. "It might be time for us to consider 2021 as the anomaly rather than the norm," Rock Health researchers wrote. "For us, historical digital health funding data presents a steady, optimistic view: From 2020 to 2022, the sector has demonstrated sustained gains, even amidst a tougher overall economy." Globally, the quarter saw the fewest digital health deals — 554 — since the fourth quarter of 2018, which had 551, according to a report from CB Insights.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | FDA OK'S APP SAYING WHETHER YOU HAVE KIDNEY DISEASE — Healthy.io has just received FDA clearance for its app-enabled at-home test for kidney disease. An estimated 15 percent of Americans have kidney disease, and most don't know it. Healthy.io says its test will increase the number of people who screen for the condition every year. What it does: Healthy.io's test kit uses a basic urine dipstick test to detect heightened protein levels — a signal that someone may have kidney disease. Instead of waiting for a doctor to analyze the sample, the person uses the company's app, which employs artificial intelligence to read the dipstick. Why it matters: The app's artificial intelligence is cleared for use on any smartphone, allowing it to reach people regardless of their device— no iPhone needed.
| | | Abortion providers embrace virtual assistants and automation to prepare for new flood of patients — Mohana Ravindranath, STAT CMS finds "troubling" implicit bias in 3 payment models — Rebecca Pifer, Healthcare Dive 988 set for quiet launch in light of state, federal concerns about crisis call spike — Megan Messerly, Sarah Owermohle, POLITICO
| | | | A message from Bamboo Health: The introduction of 988 is an opportunity to change the way the U.S. responds to individuals with a range of behavioral health issues. It will help to direct individuals to the appropriate level of care, instead of diverting them to hospital emergency departments, or even law enforcement.
With the rapidly approaching July 16th launch of 988, states must comply with federal law and develop a plan and infrastructure to support their communities' adoption of 988 services. Bamboo Health partners with state government leaders to provide that plan and crisis management infrastructure, along with expert guidance around securing federal funding, to ensure a smooth launch. We also offer ongoing support across your entire 988 ecosystem.
Visit BambooHealth.com/988ready to download our crisis management playbook, and learn more about our 988 resources. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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